Runaway
by ChrnoCreations
Summary: Panic strikes at the 7th Heaven bar as Cloud comes home to find Tifa is missing. Can Cloud find her in time to confess his love and convince her to come home once more?  Rating will eventually go up...
1. Chapter 1

_RUNAWAY – BY Chrnocreations_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything... (Would be nice though)**  
_

_A/N: This is kind of based of what my little cousin and I went through when we didn't feel like our house was actually our home and we both though it was something that Tifa would have felt with the uncertainty of Clouds coming and goings and need for family and the stability that should come with it._

_**Chapter 1**_

_Tifa shoved the last of her clothes into the small duffle bag. After everything that had happened with the whole Kadaj incident she had hoped her relationship with Cloud would improve…._

_It hadn't_

_In fact it seemed to have got worse. Not even a week after the final battle with Sephiroth Cloud had disappeared without even telling anyone this time and as per usual he refused to answer his phone or return anyone's messages._

_Tifa knew what she was doing was wrong but she just could do it anymore. She had called Barrett to come and mind the kid for the week while she went to visit Reno or so they thought. The truth was that Tifa had no intention of coming back. Years and years of unrequited love had taken their toll on her and she could no longer bring herself to face her friends or family._

Cloud was getting rather concerned, he hadn't heard from Tifa in over a week, normally she'd leave him a message every few days just to let him know her and the kids were going.

It was getting to the point that Cloud had begun to consider caller her just to make sure everything was alright. Suddenly he felt him phone vibrate,

"_Incoming Call BARRETT"_

Cloud sighed and shoved the phone back in his pocket, he just wasn't in the mood to listen to his friends ramblings about oil and Marlene… who was with Tifa…

Cloud grabbed his phone and listen to the voice message,

"_Yo Cloud it's Barrett, Tifa was 'sposed to get back from Reno's yesterday but it seem that she never even arrived there, just hoping you knew what was going on…"_

Cloud felt his stomach clench, Tifa was never late and she certainly was the type to blow someone off or make others worry. Cloud kicked the stand out from under his bike and headed back to Midgar. There was no doubt in his mind, something was terribly wrong.

It took him barley half the time it usually took him to get to the small bar on the outskirts of the city of Midgar, the usually bustling building was unusually quite and the bar was closed even though it was a Friday night.

As he approached he could here Denzil and Marlene arguing,

"It's his fault she's gone, if he actually cared about us he wouldn't leave all the time!"

"He's just really busy, Tifa understands!"

"Does she? Then why hasn't she come home!"

Cloud was shocked, could it Tifa have really left because of him? He hadn't meant to upset her; he'd just need some time to work everything out. He'd stayed long enough to make sure that everyone was alright hadn't he? And he always came back eventually didn't he?

He had to admit though it did seem pretty harsh even in his head and Tifa had put up with a lot especially from him.

Hurried footsteps from upstairs grabbed his attention,

"Look Cloud's back!"

"I'll get Barrett"

Cloud sighed, he had a lot of explaining to do, but he'd made up his mind. He was going to find Tifa. He was going to fix things.

"Cloud!" Denzil called running down the stairs to greet him, "I knew you'd be back"

A twinge of guilt shot through Cloud, even the children had become accustomed to him coming and goings, although maybe not so much Marlene.

Smiling down at the young boy Cloud ruffled his hair, "Yeah I'm back"

"So I take it you haven't heard anything?"

Cloud noticed the grim look on Barretts face, "Not a word since she left for Reno's. It doesn't seem like anyone has, even called Reno and Yuffie but no luck..."

Cloud sighed again, how was he supposed to finder her when they had no idea where she had gone? She could be anywhere by now and the longer it took them to figure it out the hard it would be to track her down…

"Hey Cloud there's a message here"

Cloud looked up at Marlene who has standing next to the 7th Heaven phone, without Tifa there to run the bar no one had paid any attention to its phone.

-You have one new message received, message received Friday 4:30am-

_I know this isn't the right thing to do but for to long I've tried to make this place feel like home, but there is something missing, something that I don't think I will ever find here no matter how much I want to. I need to find a place that I can call home I just can't pretend that everything is ok anymore. I hope that you'll all forgive me or maybe it's better if you simply forget me… either way I guess this is goodbye _

End of messages-

That was all he needed to hear, Cloud grabbed his jacket and headed for the door,

"Where are you going Cloud?"

"To Nibleheim"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry about the insanely late update . My life's been a little crazy and to top it all off my laptop died! Anyways I know its short but hopefully the next chapter will make up for it and this time I should have it up within a month... Should being the key word :P**

**Anyways I'll stop rambling, hope you enjoy and please leave a review (^-^)  
**

_**Chapter 2**_

_Tifa looked around what had once been her home town, sure it had been rebuild almost the same after Sephiroth had set fire to the place, but it just didn't seem the same. The fact that no one remembered her probably had something to do with it. Tifa made her way to the small inn. Nibelheim wasn't a big town but it had the essentials and 100Gil for a room wasn't a bad price. She has to admit, she wasn't entirely sure why she had come here but she had felt inexplicably drawn to the place, a place so full of memories, memories she was trying to forget…_

_Tifa sighed, this wasn't getting her anywhere, she felt as though she was simply going in circles, her mind was flooded with memories of her childhood. The lost of her mother, Zangan, Cloud…. _

_It had been here that he had promised to save her if ever she was in trouble, but what about now? What if he had become the cause of those troubles?_

_Again she let her thoughts drift back to him, where was he now? Had he even noticed she'd gone?_

Cloud pushed the Fenrir to its limits; he had no idea how long Tifa planned to stay in Nibelheim or where she planned to go from there. He needed to hurry, he realized that it was an ever growing possibility that she has already left. Cursing under his breath he wondered how it had gotten to this. He had built his life around her twice and almost lost her twice, so why had it been so damn difficult to jus be honest with himself? She had been his sole reason for wanting to be a SOLDIER but somehow, with all that had happened he'd lost sight of what was truly important to him, and now with the prospect of loosing her forever looming overhead it had never seen clearer. He had promised her that night under the moonlight that he would always protect her, but he hadn't, how could he when the one hurting her the most had been him? But all that was about to change, it just had to…

_She stood at the base of Mount Nibel. She had decided that while she was here she might as well climb it, she missed the beautiful view from the top and it reminded her of simpler times. Just like the rest of the town Mount Nibel hadn't really changed, although with no-one caring for it over the past few years the path had become rather over grown and quite difficult to distinguish in parts, it was at times like this she was glad of the hours of train she had done her with Zangan. The mountainside was familiar to her and she knew the land well. It was always peaceful and calm up here, the perfect place to clear her head. Yes, this was exactly what she had needed. Pushing the over grown branches out of her way she head off up the mountain._

Cloud looked around the small town he had once called home, it hadn't taken him long to realize that she wasn't there. The only useful information he's found was that she had left her things at the inn two days ago. So where on earth had she gone? And without her things?

Heading to the only place he hadn't looked Cloud prayed that for once the Shinra Mansion would give him the answers he needed.

The place was more than rundown, years of neglect had taken there toll on the once grand mansion. A think layer of dust covered everything in sight. Clouds hearts sank, it was obvious that no one had been in here for quite some time. Kicking the door in frustration he couldnt help but feel that she was gone. Staring down at his footprints in the dust he cursed himself for being so stupid, he had pushed her away one to many times and now he would give anything just to see her again….

Cloud let his mind wander back to the last time he'd been here, it was with Tifa of course and they'd come as part of 'AVALANCH' and it had been here that they had first met Vincent.

Cloud shook his head, he could imagine some of the choice words his friend would have for him given his current situation. Vincent had come along in the past few months, he's even bought himself a phone even if he rarely used it….. His phone!

Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled it out, sure it was a bit of a long shot but it was worth a try at least.

He started at the phone, he'd never actually used to make a call before, but surely it couldn't be that hard, could it?

Cloud now glared at the phone, he possibly should have paid more attention when Tifa had first explained the thing to him. He didn't even know Tifa's number although he vaguely recalled her storing somewhere within the infernal contraption along with a few other numbers incase he even needed them…. Like now,

_ "If you ever need me just hold this button till it starts ringing, see easy isn't it"_

Sure it may have seemed easy enough at the time but now he didn't even remember which button "this" one was.

Might as well start at the beginning he though as he held down the 1 button. The phone vibrated and issued a loud beep; Cloud promptly dropped it and glared at the offending device. He was beginning hate this thing more and more.

"This isn't over" he muttered picking up the phone and trying the next button and to his great relief the phone began to dial and ring,

*click*

"Hello Yuffie here"

"Yuffie?"

"Cloud?"

A moment of silence passed,

"Why do you have Tifa's phone?"

**AN: I think this came from trying to teach my mum how to use her phone book on her mobile that she has but never actually answers, sound familiar? (-_-)**


End file.
